Rayden had his magic sword wrapped in an intense aura, attacking aggressively while the masked mage dodged effortlessly, like he was just playing around.

  "You're gonna have to do better than that if you want to land a hit."

  "RAYDEN!! Now!!"

  Elena’s voice cut through the battlefield. She was already channeling her scarlet magic, and Rayden, even in mid-movement, jumped back.

  He twisted in the air and landed with his knees bent, retreating fast.

  A second later, Elena’s flames whooshed past where he had just been.

  The masked mage dodged the scarlet blaze with graceful movements, letting the fire twist behind him as he leapt back.

  "Uuh! Are you guys really trying to roast me?!"

  He laughed, even as he spun through the air to dodge the flames.

  "I hate hot weather!"

  While still in midair, the mage fired a barrage of needles made of dark mana. The black blades sliced through the air with a sharp screech, aimed straight at Lyra's position.

  They stabbed into the ground.

  "Shit..."

  Lyra pulled back just in time, whipping up a gust of wind around her feet, blasting the ground into fragments where the needles had landed.

  BZZZK-KRASSHH!

  A small explosion of dark mana sent shards of stone and thick dust flying, wrapping everything in a choking curtain.

  "Haaah... what the hell was that?!"

  Lyra quickly dispersed the dust cloud with a spinning wave of wind, but her eyes widened when she saw more projectiles coming straight from the smoke.

  More needles, hidden in the haze.

  CHAK-CHAK-CHAK!

  Before she could react, Rayden jumped in front of her, his sword glowing with mana as he slashed them all mid-air.

  THRASSHH!

  The fragments hit the ground harmlessly.

  "Tsk... this guy’s impossible to predict!"

  Sweat was running down Rayden’s forehead.

  From the moment the fight had started, the masked mage hadn’t given them a single break.

  Even if he was at least a class 5 mage, still—against three students? How could one person do so many things at once?

  "It’s like trying to hit a mosquito in the middle of a hurricane..."

  Elena watched everything closely.

  ‘He’s just buying time...’

  She turned to Professor Maelis, who stayed a bit back, guiding the students to help the wounded.

  She had told Elena they called for help the moment the attack started.

  ‘We just need to hold on a little longer...’

  If they did, the academy knights would make it in time.

  Elena took a deep breath, trying to stay focused even with her body tense and mana circulating at high speed. The battle was intense, but every second of resistance mattered.

  Luckily, this time Rayden was with her and Lyra.

  He moved without hesitation, going for an opening in the masked mage’s guard.

  "Hnggh! Easy there..."

  The masked mage let out a short, mocking sound as he noticed the attack coming his way. With a quick spin in the air, he barely dodged Rayden’s strike.

  "Good thing you can’t fly, kid—"

  Rayden channeled his mana hard into the blade, which lit up in a deep blue tone. With a sharp motion, he fired a slash of cutting energy toward the masked mage, like he wanted to end it right there.

  CLANG!!

  But instead of being caught, the dark mage just dodged again with ease and landed atop one of the broken pillars in the arena.

  He let out a mocking whistle, looking at where Rayden’s attack hit.

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  "That was close, huh..."

  Rayden, who was done with the mage’s games, narrowed his eyes.

  "Why are you doing this? What do you want with Veyhart Academy?!"

  The mage gave a wide grin under the mask. His voice was casual, like they were just chatting.

  "What do you mean why? Does a dark mage need a reason to have a little fun?"

  "You're completely insane... you know that when Veyhart’s mages show up, you’re dead, right?"

  "Hmm... that's true. ~But that’s only gonna happen if I’m still here..."

  From above, the masked mage scanned the area. Fights were already breaking out between Class S students and some low-level dark mages.

  ‘I’ve burned too much mana... need to stop playing around and end this now.’

  He clenched his teeth. Cracking the academy's magical barrier had drained more mana than expected. If he wasn’t a dark mage, he’d already be out.

  Turning his head slowly, his eyes searched the horizon.

  ‘He’s waiting for a signal...’

  Elena clenched her fist, watching the mage standing above the entrance to the alchemy greenhouse, her mind spinning.

  ‘Seliah... he’s waiting for confirmation that Yenne’s been captured.’

  Elena was trusting that Kaen would handle things on his side. But if any signal showed up...

  "Haah... We just need to hold out a little longer..."

  Elena took position, her eyes burning with determination.

  Scarlet flames started swirling around her arms. Rayden and Lyra moved between her and the dark mage, ready to cover her casting.

  The masked mage, still looking toward the horizon, noticed a shift. His eyes dropped, sensing a spike in mana coming from Elena.

  "You really think I’m gonna let that happen?"

  He stretched both hands forward, focusing dark energy between his fingers.

  A dense orb wrapped in shadowy lightning began to form.

  The pressure in the air spiked, warping the space around it.

  ‘I’m losing too much mana with this flight spell... but that sword kid’s a pain in the ass.’

  He dodged another slash of mana from Rayden’s sword.

  ‘Annoying... if I had all my mana...’

  "Let’s just wrap this up, kids..."

  The orb of dark energy pulsed violently, lightning cracking around it.

  "Sorry... but you're gonna die along with—"

  Suddenly...

  A massive magical presence surged behind him.

  VRUUUUSH!

  Before he could react, a spear of pure, dense water ripped through the air, rising from below.

  "What?!"

  He let go of the orb with one hand and raised the other reflexively.

  BOOOOM!

  The impact of the water hit his barrier like muffled thunder. The protection cracked, and he was thrown sideways, stumbling mid-air.

  When he recovered and looked down, he saw a girl with long blue hair.

  "Tch... What is this, a noble kids’ reunion now?"

  "Maybe you should focus."

  ‘Shit...’

  The mage tried to get away, but Rayden was already on him, making his movements clumsy...

  How did he get there so fast?!

  Or wait... the Velmar family doesn’t even train mages for flight... so how?

  Rayden spun his sword, his aura merging with the surrounding mana flow. The Celestine Swordsmanship of his family manifested with deadly elegance.

  THZZZZT!

  At the moment of impact, the blade tore through the enchanted barrier the mage was trying to cast. The magic shattered like glass, black sparks scattering through the air.

  "Rayden, fall back!"

  Lyra opened her arms, pulling him away with a gust of wind seconds before Elena’s spell was complete.

  Scarlet flames swirled like a flower around Elena. The petals of spiritual fire expanded, creating an image that could almost be mistaken for beauty.

  "Now, Elena!!"

  "I know already..."

  She launched the spell.

  The Blazing Scarlet Flower shot toward the mage like a reddish-pink comet, leaving a trail of embers that could almost be mistaken for petals floating in the air.

  "Shit... these kids..."

  He spun his hands and formed a dome of dark energy around his body, trying to block the impact.

  KRRRRRRHHHMM!

  The scarlet flames exploded against the dome. The ground beneath cracked, and crimson light lit up the whole area for a few seconds.

  Smoke rose.

  "..."

  And as the smoke began to fade...

  The masked mage appeared among the ashes. His cloak was torn, and the broken mask revealed part of his face. A large burn covered the left side, marked in dark red.

  He was breathing heavily, body shaking, but still standing.

  He touched the part of the mask that had shattered, then turned his gaze to Elena.

  "Urgh... Thought I said I hated the heat."

  Right after the mocking words, a thick wave of dark energy started rising from the ground, spreading like living smoke around the dark mage's body.

  His body trembled—not from pain, but from bottled-up rage. The fragments of the mask clinked as they fell, revealing more of the burn on his face.

  "I went easy on you... holding back the whole time... and you tried to kill me!!!???"

  Dark mana surged around him, pulsing in almost visible waves, distorting the air and making the ground vibrate.

  Rayden raised his sword.

  Lyra started gathering wind around her body. And Elena stepped forward, drawing on her last reserves of mana.

  But then, the unexpected happened...

  The mage just stopped.

  His eyes scanned each of them, and then he smiled.

  The energy faded little by little, like it was being pulled back into his body.

  With a small push, he started to float.

  "Well... let’s leave this for another time. I have something I need to check on first."

  Elena stepped forward, pointing firmly.

  "Heeey... where do you think you're going?!"

  She launched a fireball straight at him.

  But the dark mage simply moved one arm, forming a blade of dark mana that cut the spell mid-air.

  "What’s the problem, girl from House Elrien? Didn’t you want your teacher alive? I’m doing you all a favor."

  "Don't come with that!! I already know you're just here buying time."

  The dark mage's eyes narrowed, and a wide grin spread across his lips.

  "Wow... you figured that out? Did you also notice I'm heading toward my real objective?"

  "Just give up already... you've realized something's wrong with your plan."

  The mage's smile faded... His expression shifted.

  Lyra stepped a bit closer and quickly whispered to Elena:

  "Hey... don’t provoke this psycho."

  The mage frowned. His body tensed for a moment.

  His gaze slowly lifted, sensing something in the distance.

  The mana around them seemed to vibrate. The magic knights were getting closer.

  "Tsk... you kids are really lucky..."

  Looking around, Maelis was no longer on the field. She had pulled back with the others. The class 3 dark mages were exhausted.

  He knew staying there was a waste of time. His focus was somewhere else.

  ‘I need to find out what happened to the girl from the Magic Tower...’

  "We’ll meet again in the future... if you’re still alive by then."

  The dark mage slowly turned in the air and shot off at high speed, leaving behind a rippling trail of dark smoke that faded like a living mist.

  Elena, still with her arm extended, tried to gather energy to cast another spell. But as soon as the heat began forming in her palm, a sharp pain shot through her shoulder.

  "Nghh—!"

  She bent forward slightly, lowering her arms.

  Her body had reached its limit.

  Iris, who had gotten closer, placed a hand on her back.

  "Hey, don’t push it any further. That’s enough. He’s gone."

  Elena narrowed her eyes, still gasping for air.

  ‘Kaen... looks like I fucked up...’